You ever have one of those moments where you come to the realization that there is a real injustice occurring and that it is necessary to finally stand up and say something about it? Well Brenda Diggs, an English teacher at South High Community School in Worcester did and finally expressed the words that so many students in urban high schools have wanted to say for years. She wrote this letter to the Telegram and Gazette and finally outed the media for its discriminatory practices:
"I was appalled when I looked in the newspaper (Telegram & Gazette, June 7) to find that every high school graduation from surrounding towns had photos with a short writeup, along
with the names of graduating seniors.
South High Community School, a Worcester public school, had only the names listed.
How is it that every school outside the city gets recognition in the T&G and not a Worcester public school? I recognize that the T&G covers all of Worcester County. However, it seems
curious to me that a school such as Algonquin Regional High School in Northboro gets front-page coverage, but a Worcester school is the only one without a photo.
I’m a proud South High Community School graduate, although, when I mention this to people their faces usually scrunch and their responses are "ewww."
I believe that the media is partly responsible for this negative perception of South High.
When something goes wrong at South, it makes the newspaper right
away, but there are many great students who achieve great things within the four years they spend at South High.
This deserves recognition, so I want to publicly
acknowledge and congratulate the graduating class of 2008 from South High
Community School."
You cannot believe how ecstatic I was when I read this letter; I even tacked it to my wall. Honestly this article is a turning point in the course of events in this city because it serves as the catalyst for a dialogue on urban issues and perception of inner city schools, and especially the way in which people from these areas are treated by the public at large. Ms. Diggs has ignited a firestorm, and I don't even think she realizes how much of an accelerant she has been. This article does for urban issues in Worcester what Barrack Obama's speech on race did for racial tensions around the nation; bring an issue of discrimination to center stage.
Yes you heard me correctly I said discrimination. One of the greatest problems facing this nation which is just as devastating as racism is discrimination based on residence. We live in a society that frowns upon exclusion and criticism of others based on color, creed, gender, and national origin (although these acts are still committed and condoned in somewhat of a hush-hush manner. Let's face it, if you "tolerate" others' differences and still hold prejudices, you are still a racist) but still finds it perfectly acceptable to bash people based on geographic location. The media portrays individuals in urban areas as all being from "ghettos," carrying knives in their pockets, and basically contemplating criminal acts every seven seconds. It is disgusting the way people treat others. I am also a South High Community School graduate and understand exactly what Ms Diggs is going through. Every time you mention that you are from South you are glared at as if you are ready to pull out an AK-47. Looking at one of the comments to this article from a T&G Reader individuals from North often are treated in the same manner, and I'm sure there are probably Dohrety and Burncoat students out there who have faced some type of prejudicial remark because of the fact that they go to a public school within the city.
Discrimination against individuals in urban areas is just pure ignorance. I remember one time I was reading an article about a murder in Millbury at the Blackstone Valley Mall and an online reader commented that it was because of the fact that the victim and the perpetrator were both from Worcester and that they were "infecting" the suburbs. Seriously where is this individual's evidence? Depending on which school districts you examine around the nation there are urban public schools that far surpass the performance of areas and other private schools. Worcester is one of those areas. We have so many things going for this city, especially our education system, but people instead decide to bash its citizens and its youth. Why is this allowed to occur?
The media is a business. The purpose is to make a profit and sensationalism sells. If the headline smells of scandal and controversy (even if it is not true, as was demonstrated by the smears against Doug Belanger) it will be reported. the reason why negative stories about inner city schools will be reported before negative stories about outer city and suburban schools is because of the fact that the marketers feel that they have less of a reading audience in the less affluent sections of the city. Unfortunately this is a false assumption. People in these regions are very well informed of their surroundings and have deserted mainstream periodicals for underground pieces not only because they are less expensive, but because they speak the truth and are more sensitive to their concerns.
Is the T & G a bad publication? Of course not! They have done a series of positive stories about area youth and students and have showcased a lot of positive attributes in the community. However they still fall victim to the inner city stereotype and do love to sensationalize about stories concerning urban communities (all papers do). And let's face it; the only reason why they did not put a picture of South's graduation is because they thought they could get away with it. Hopefully after seeing Ms Diggs' letter they will learn their lesson and will come to the conclusion that South is no longer a school to be taken for granted.
So why do people still make faces and gnash their teeth when any one from any urban high school reveals where they received their schooling? This is an epidemic that is spread across the country. Whether you are from Worcester, The Bronx, Chicago, Little Rock, Houston, Los Angeles, San Juan or any city across the world you are still judged based on your residence. Urban areas are often judged as "lower class" because of the fact that it is a highly congested area and more incidents are bound to happen in areas with more people. But is there a deeper reason?
There is. Some people just have problems with diversity. It irks them to see the interaction of so many different types of people and the presence of minorities. They have fallen victim to the psychological trend called "othering" in which people associate individuals of different characteristics as being "the others," essentially opponents to their ideals of conformity (if everyone looked then everything would fit their concept of the ideal). This thought system comes out of pure ignorance. The problem is that people are not always exposed to individuals of other characteristics and thus believe the stereotypes over the facts. The media ultimately facilitates the phenomena. Ms. Diggs hit it right on the button.
So I'm asking everyone who reads this to be a Ms. Diggs in your own community. Whenever you hear anyone trashing someone because of where they reside stand up and call them out on their bluff. In the poker game of life the facts always trump the stereotypes and will give you the upper hand.
And if you play your cards right the only winner will be social justice.